Putin woos African leaders, says Russia a better partner than ‘colonial’ West

President Vladimir Putin told African leaders on Wednesday that Russia was their best partner, accusing what he cast as a colonial West of still trying to exploit the continent’s resources and using debt to hold back development. Putin was speaking at the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, a two-day event attended by African leaders and government delegations from 48 countries, and will hold one-on-one talks with many of the 22 individual African leaders attending on issues such as trade, security, arms and grain. The event, first held in 2019, is part of a concerted push for Russian political, economic and military influence on a continent where paramilitary fighters from Russia’s Africa Corps remain active. Russian state media and cultural institutions are also trying to expand their footprint in Africa, and Russian state companies are trying to expand their interests in areas from mining to power generation. Wooing African leaders and others from the Global South has also been part of Moscow’s strategy to counterbalance pressure on the world stage from the West over Russia’s war in Ukraine. “Africa is increasingly asserting itself as one of the key players in the global economy and politics,” Putin said. “However, the emergence of a multipolar world is, of course, no easy task; it faces resistance from countries that are not prepared to accept this reality: those who are accustomed to thinking in terms of their colonial past and to enriching themselves fabulously.” Putin, whom Western critics accuse of trying to leverage Africa’s colonial past to Moscow’s benefit, did not name the countries he had in mind. But he spoke of what he called “active attempts by Western countries” to drive Africans back into debt bondage and to force them to accept much-needed financial resources on predatory terms, which he said slowed their long-term development. By contrast, Putin said Russia was ready to share its know-how, including digital know-how, and localise production rather than just buy raw materials, creating jobs and generating tax revenue. Russian paramilitary forces have been accused by Western governments of propping up military juntas such as the one in Mali to try to shore up Moscow’s geopolitical influence and squeeze out former colonial powers such as France. Moscow rejects these assertions. Burkina Faso’s prime minister, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo, said cooperation with Russia was transparent and ensured both parties’ interests, and that Moscow was not trying to erase African languages and cultures. “This is completely different from what we had with imperialist France,” he told Russia’s state RT television channel. Putin told the summit that Russia championed greater African influence in the IMF and World Bank, was ready to embark on joint transport and agricultural infrastructure projects and that Moscow stood ready to supply grain and fertiliser to more African countries.